The Strange Boy in the Astronomy Tower
by Phoesong
Summary: He had just decided to turn back and retrace his steps in hopes of seeing anything familiar, when his neck prickled uncomfortably. Someone - or something - was watching him. Alarmed, Ness whipped out his glowing wand and turned around sharply in the gloom. "Who's there?" ...Little did Ness know that he had just stumbled into an adventure far bigger than he had thought.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note****: **

**Yep. An Earthbound and Hogwarts crossover. *_Hears groans and complaints that Harry Potter crossovers are overused to death*._ Sorry guys, I couldn't resist mixing two of my favorite things into one story. And the similarities were screaming at me:**

**Mother/Earthbound world: People who can control random psychokinetic powers and live in a weird world where monsters like killer lamps coming to life have perfectly logical explanations.**

**Harry Potter world: People who have powerful "magic" powers live in a place where supernatural beasts and legends exist.**

**...See what I mean?**

**To clarify, the story will take place in the Harry Potter World, but with Mother/Earthbound characters. Some characters may be OOC (like Ninten's dad) to fit the plot of the story, and ages are altered so some characters may exist together although they technically shouldn't exist in the same time line. **

**Ness should be the main character of this story (unless specified later), but viewpoints may shift to other character's perspectives in a few shots. Ness has not yet broken up his childhood friendship with Pokey, and they are both in Gryffindor about to start their fourth year. **

**Before anyone starts harping about why Pokey is in Gryffindor, look at The Sorting Hat. It sorted Neville Longbottom and Peter Pettigrew into Gryffindor. Not that I hate Neville (I love his characterization), but the point I'm trying to make it that people might not be who they seem. Also the Sorting Hat can make mistakes. If you don't like the story, then please don't read. I'm not forcing you to click the button.**

**Sorry about the long rant, but I had to make sure the points above were clarified. **

**I present to you the first Mother/****Earthbound and Harry Potter crossover! I do not own any of these characters/works.**

* * *

><p>Lightning crackled ominously across the horizon. The wind howled like a thousand tortured souls around the man as he gasped, limbs desperately working in fear. He was drenched to the bone, cold shills racking through his spine, but he had to run, no matter what happened. He had to warn him, but he had lost his wand in the fray...<p>

A cackled of glee from behind him as a spell blasted apart the bulky boulder right next to him. He yelped as another grazed his back, a hot searing pain erupting from the cut. He felt the hot sticky blood flow from the cut, but he still ran. Despair was all he knew now...he was trapped mouse in a cage, yet his two pursuers insisted on playing this futile game.

"Give it up, already," The hated voice jeered from behind him. Then quite abruptly, the man felt an unknown force hook his ankles. He stumbled and fell. Looking upward, he caught sight of his loathing foe.

"Tripping jinx. Quite useful, eh, Alec?"

The man growled defiantly, "I hope you rot in Hell, you murderer!"

Giygas only chuckled. "Don't worry. You'll be reunited with your dear dead daughter soon enough, Alec." His face suddenly shifted to a dangerous look. "Game's over. Tell me. Where is he?"

Alec spat bitterly into his face. "You'll never find them."

"...You will die screaming for mercy." Giygas snarled unpleasantly before turning around to address the silent person behind him. "Finish him!"

The mysterious person stepped forward into the moonlight, and the old man saw his second pursuer clearly for the first time. Shock filled Alec's face. Then he let loose a terrible, anguished howl.

"Avada Kadavra!"

* * *

><p>"Can you believe that?" Ness muttered to Pokey at the Gryffindor table, looking at the <em>Daily Prophet<em>. "Another man's dead. Oddly, they don't disclose his name."

"So?" Pokey looked up from his breakfast plate and gave his characteristic nervous-sounding laugh. "Ness, people die all the time."

"They found his body two weeks ago in the mountains." The ebony-haired boy frowned darkly. "The Ministry say he was killed by hypothermia from the rainstorm. That's load of crap if I ever saw it."

His friend shook his head sadly. "Ness, you always think that all these deaths were actually murders."

"No, but look!" He insisted, shoving the paper into his face. "He had a bloody cut across his back and his wand was found snapped into pieces further downhill. Does this sound like a peaceful death?"

Pokey laughed nervously again. "I don't know what happened, but it could have been something else."

"That still means the Ministry lied to us."

Pokey stopped at his claim. "You're right," he said uneasliy before shrugging it off. "But they probably have a good reason to do it. Probably not to spread mass havoc or something-"

"Fourth years, please come over to pick up your schedules for the coming year!"

"Come on, Ness, let's get our schedules!" Pokey grabbed Ness's hand and pulled him along into the babbling crowd where several professors were handing out schedules. The line was long, but thinned quickly as students bustled off to class. In no time, Ness found himself face-to-face with Gryffindor Head of House, Professor Fly.

"All right there, Ness?!" The ex-criminal boss grinned like a feral shark, the classic shades and intimidating appearance hiding his genuinely sincere personality. Pokey gave a tiny squeak of fright, but Ness only grinned back.

"Hi Frank!"

"That's _Professor _Fly to you, hotshot," He corrected, handing Ness his schedule.

"You don't sound that old," Ness said boldly.

Frank Fly stared at Ness with a look of shock that immediately turned dangerously stern.

"Ness...," Pokey whimpered, tugging on his arm. "I don't think you should keep talking to him like that..."

Ness ignored him and plowed through cheekily. "I mean, I bet you're probably like the same age as us, right Frank? Or-"

"ENOUGH!" He roared, making Pokey flinch and several first years stare. "How dare you mock me with such _insolence_!" Professor Fly glowered at them with such intensity that Ness swore he saw fire burning in the enraged man's eyes. "In all my years, why I've NEVER-"

"-seen someone as determined or as stupid as you!" He finished with a light cackle, patting Ness roughly on the back. "You'd better be lucky I'm not like the headmaster, now, Ness." He tried to put on a serious frown. "Now be off! I have schedules to hand out!"

Once Ness had collected his schedule, he scanned it: _Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Charms, History of Magic _(he groaned), _Flying _(he brightened up a little). He absolutely _loved _Quidditch. All those times playing baseball had really helped him become a pretty good Chaser on the team.

"You shouldn't rile up Professor Fly like that, Ness," Pokey said, finally appearing at his side nervously. Ness rolled his eyes.

"Aww, relax, Pokey! You know I do this every year! It's our tradition!" When Ness noticed Pokey still looked unconvinced. "Plus Professor Fly's not such a bad guy once you get to know him. You should talk to him more."

"I would like to think otherwise," Pokey replied with a huff. Trying to change the subject, he looked over at Ness's schedule. "Awesome! We have the same classes except flying and divination!" he exclaimed.

Ness rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Pokey, we've been having almost all the same classes since we've arrived."

"Still," Pokey said, finally grinning back. "Ready for Potions class?"

* * *

><p>It turned out that they didn't go to Potions class together. Pokey was hexed by a pair of sixth year Slytherins. For some reason Ness could not understand, the combination of the spells caused Pokey's hair to turn a tasteful shade of blue and talk in falsetto. Ness had stunned them back and was probably about to do something a lot worse until the Headmaster showed up.<p>

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing here?" He bellowed, fixing Ness with a fiery glare. Ness gulped. The Headmaster was was a sticker for rules. Being called out rarely meant good news. Pokey shrank back from behind him.

"Hello, sir," Ness said warily. Professor Strong frowned at him sternly.

"You either address me as captain or professor. Is that clear?" He nodded silently. Almost everyone knew of Professor Strong's admiration for the Auror department, seeing as he worked as a leader in the field once. Hence his pride as in the title, "Captain." Professor Strong's stern gaze eased to a more relaxed expression at Ness's response. He then turned to glare at Pokey.

"And you, boy?"

"Yes, captain!" Pokey squeaked. Nodding in approval at his response, Professor Strong briskly strode off, levitating the two Slytherins. "Don't be mistaken: I am very disappointed in you, Ness. We will discuss your punishment in due time. Help your friend up, will you, young man?"

* * *

><p>The walk to the hospital wing was gravely silent.<p>

After Ness had helped Pokey clamber onto a vacant bed, the healer had examined him promptly.

"Is he okay?" Ness asked anxiously as he was ushered out by the healer, leaving Pokey wailing on the hospital bed. Apparently Pokey had a myriad of other symptoms, such as sudden loss of control over his bowel functions and other things Ness did not want to think about. "When will he be released?"

The impatient healer flapped her hands at him. "Oh, I don't know. His condition isn't serious, and thankfully not permanent, but he'll have to stay here for an entire week just to make sure certain symptoms don't suddenly arise. Goodness me," she flashed him an annoyed look, pointing at the two beds where the two Slytherins were currently knocked out cold thanks to Ness's handiwork. "Giving me enough work to do before classes have even started! Why, the carelessness of youth these days!"

With a final indignant huff, the healer gave a final push before slamming the doors behind him. Ness stared unhappily at the door before bitterly trudging off to Potions class. Despite his protests that the Slytherins had attached them first, Professor Strong had sternly told him off for "causing unnecessary disturbances as a product of rash action." While he thankfully did not take off any points, he had written Ness up for detention.

Carefully opening the door, he saw Professor Mixolydia busily warning the class of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs about the dangers of TaneTane mushrooms. Surreptitiously slipping in to avoid attracting unwanted attention, he silently scanned the room desperately for any the empty chairs before one next to Ninten caught his eye.

But Ness hesitated. He didn't really know Ninten even though they had roomed together with Pokey for the past three years. Because Ness mainly hung around with Pokey, he sometimes felt guilty for involuntarily neglecting their last roommate, but Ninten never seemed to care. In fact, Ninten seemed like a quiet boy who tended to say little except in class, preferring to absorb himself into textbooks.

Ness had tried speaking to Ninten once back in their first year. He had cracked a joke when Ninten had suddenly stood up, shot him a conflicted look, and walked away. Ever since then, he had the feeling that Ninten was avoiding him, although he almost caught the silent boy smirking sometimes whenever Ness pulled a silly prank in class. Pokey had just concluded that he was probably "one of those stuck-up, bookworm losers," but Ness wasn't sure.

"Can I sit here?" He whispered to his third Gryffindor roommate. Ninten didn't look up, but nodded absentmindedly, absorbed in Professor Mixolydia's lecture.

"Who can tell me the properties of-Yes, Ninten?"

"TaneTane mushrooms give symptoms of severe hallucination resulting from your innermost fears," Ninten rattled off in a monotone voice.

"Well done, love! Take ten points for Gryffindor! Now, as I was saying, today in class, my loves, you will be..."

"Nice," Ness whispered. Ninten looked startled.

"Th-Thanks," He responded quietly before turning away to listen to the Professor, the familiar mask of indifference sliding back on his face. When class ended, Ness tapped Ninten on the shoulder before the other boy could leave.

"Do you want to head to our next class together?" Again, Ninten looked pleasantly surprised before he responded by nodding back politely. Ness grinned.

"You don't have to act so serious all the time, you know. Just smile!" The quiet boy rolled his eyes in good humor, but try as he might, a small smile crept onto his face as they walked outside to the huts into the crisp morning air.

* * *

><p>To say that Ness was grumpy was an understatement.<p>

Ness grumbled his displeasure as he took staircase after staircase, corridor after corridor. He groaned. _Why did he have detention in the North Tower?_

"Hello?" He called out before giving up and continuing up the endless spiral path of empty stairs. There was no denying it: Ness was hopelessly lost. He would be lucky to even meet anyone at this time as it was close to curfew. Furiously, he kicked the wall of the staircase and slid down into a sitting position

"Think, think, Ness. Where's the North Tower again?" he muttered to himself, gazing blankly at the stone wall across from him. He was supposed to head over to the North Tower to help sort out crystal balls. He had taken a detour from his usual route from the common room, assuming that the passageway would converge on the stairs. But of course it led to somewhere completely uncharted. He mentally kicked himself. Since when did Hogwarts NEVER defy logic?

Judging from the spiral-like staircase and tall, looming ceilings, he was definitely _nowhere _near the North Tower. But Ness had never been in this part of the castle before. His heart sank. He had just decided to turn back and retrace his steps in hopes of seeing anything familiar, when his neck prickled uncomfortably. Someone - or something - was watching him. Alarmed, Ness whipped out his glowing wand and turned around sharply in the gloom.

"Who's there?"

An equally startled pair of crystal blue eyes materialized a little further down the stairs. A closer jab of his wand revealed a frightened young boy with golden tufts of hair standing frozen in shock. Judging from his appearance, Ness thought the boy looked around his age.

Although he still gripped his glowing wand tightly, Ness felt his fear evaporate. He exhaled loudly in pure relief. "Finally! Someone's awake in this castle! Listen, can you give me the directions to-!" The blonde boy suddenly ran downstairs leaving the other trailing off in midspeech. Ness stared dumbfounded before chasing after him.

"Wait! I only wanted to ask where the North Tower is!" He yelled as he followed the sounds of sharp footsteps tap away in a quick staccato. He burst into an unexplored hallway. "Come back-!"

Ness suddenly froze at the sight of a corridor that was blazing merrily with lit torches. He gaped dumbly at the familiar path to the North Tower before whirling around to see that the mysterious boy was peering at him shyly from behind a wall. Before he could do anything though, Professor Strong abruptly appeared from the room above.

"Ness, nice timing! We have no time to lollygag, lad, we have plenty of crystal balls to sort through tonight! Chop chop!" Hesitating slightly, Ness trudged over to the Divination chamber before he stopped. Risking a quick glimpse to make sure Professor Strong wasn't looking, he turned around to deliver his gratitude.

"Thank-"

The mysterious boy was nowhere in sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hey guys!**

**It's been a while, but I was able to update this chapter. I already have the next chapter written too, but I'm biding my time to make sure I'm not accidentally missing anything important. But trust me, action and random angst will skyrocket later as the story progresses. Please bear with me for the first few chapters. **

**Gods, I love writing about angst whyyyyyyy**

**Again, if you don't like this story, I totally understand. :) It's not possible to please everyone, and we all have different tastes. But I'm writing this story because I love to write, so if you want to flame me, it won't really do much except increase my review count (hooray). Not that you guys have (you've all been pretty courteous, thank you!), but I just want to make sure we're all on the same page. **

**On the other hand, constructive criticism (even if it's negative) is always welcome...Or basically whatever you guys feel inclined to write to me about. I'm ready to read each comment with an open mind. :) **

**Thank you all for your support, and ****Cheerio~**

**Insert proper disclaimer here.**

* * *

><p>"Stupefy!"<p>

The mouse in front of him squeaked unimpressed, before its twitching whiskers turned a tasteful yellow. Ness poked it with his wand, a clearly frustrated look plastered on his face.

"Why does it only work half the time?" He bemoaned, casting the spell as the mouse successfully froze this round. Ninten peered over his shoulder.

"That's actually a pretty good attempt. The background information in the book says that this spell is actually tricky to learn, but easy to master," Ninten said casually as he stunned his mouse perfectly in one go.

"You know I don't read the book!" Ness said grumpily. "...except maybe to finish the essays and the homework."

Ninten shrugged. "I read every word, yet I'm still nowhere near as good as you. Professor Fly said you're a natural at practical offensive duelling."

Ness rolled his eyes. "Says the person who always gets the spell right on the first try." Ninten flushed and opened his mouth, but the other boy interrupted him before he could speak. "Don't deny it!"

"I'm not denying it," he muttered. His cheeks were noticeably pink from embarrassment. "But I prefer Transfiguration and Charms over Defense." Ninten shot him a side glance. "Besides, I don't have as good reflexes as you. That's what matters most in duelling: how quickly you can act, not how elaborate your spells are."

The bell gonged, signalling the end of class, and there was a flurry of activity as students picked up their belongings and returned their mice.

"I think it's because you think too much before you act," Ness continued as if nothing had happened. "But if reflexes are what you're so worried about, you should try playing Quidditch." He stuffed his quill and ink in his bag. As they headed up to the common room, Ness suddenly lit up excitedly. "Hey, why don't we try flying together this weekend?!"

Ninten paled considerably. "I don't know, Ness..."

The Quidditch lover studied him, and Ninten frowned back defiantly. But upon closer look, Ness realized that Ninten looked oddly wistful...In fact, his eyes even reflected something that looked suspiciously like _longing. _Ness suddenly recalled how Ninten didn't really have any friends and felt a twinge of pity. What a lonely kid. No wonder he seemed to close up his emotions so well.

"Do you know how to fly?" Ness interrupted, immediately hardening his resolve. He was utterly determined not to leave Ninten alone without a good time.

Ninten started. "Yeah, I do, but-"

"Do you have anything to do Saturday morning?"

"No, but-"

"Good! Then it's settled. We're going to play Quidditch," Ness announced, his stern voice leaving no room for argument. There was a mad - even fervid - glint in his wild violet eyes. Ninten seemed to realize that arguing with a Ness caught by Quidditch fever was akin to running naked on hot coals. "9:00 sharp. Don't think about skimping out, or I'll pour cold water on your head."

"...All right." Ninten grumbled, trying - but failing - to sound disgruntled. He abruptly swiveled in the direction of the library, effectively hiding his face from Ness, before departing with a half-hearted mutter. "...Douche."

But Ness noticed how the his tense shoulders seemed to relax, and there seemed to be an extra spring in Ninten's step as he walked away. Ness gave a knowing grin.

_Ninten, you might try to act all cold and aloof, but you're really not a bad person after all..._

* * *

><p>Ness almost jumped when someone tapped his shoulder. Swiveling around, he noticed that it was just the Divination instructor.<p>

"Thanks for sorting out my crystal balls last night, love," Professor Doria said in his usual flirtatious tone. The Magypsy septuplets were extremely well known for their magical potential, and coincidentally lived in the castle as professors. They were all addressed by their first names because it was troublesome to call for "Professor Magypsy" and find seven heads poking out from the same room with a collective "Yes?". Although Ness had to admit it was pretty funny while it lasted.

"It was just a detention, professor." Ness frowned in thought. Now thinking about the detention pulled back memories of that strange boy in the staircase...

The professor shrugged. "Help is still help." His eyes shifted curiously to Ness's violet ones. "You look troubled. I sense you are trying to search for something."

Ness blinked. "I'm not!" He protested.

Professor Doria shrugged. "If you insist, love." Ness started walking away before he was called back. "Walk over to the astronomy tower tonight after 9."

"Huh?" Ness froze.

"You'll find what you're looking for, love. Prefects and professors don't check there unless the door is wide open, and astronomy classes were moved to the Dark Tower this year. Apparently its a lot easier to spot Saturn from that angle."

Ness looked completely incredulous. _Did the Professor just explicitly tell him to break curfew...?_

The Professor gave him one last wink before striding away, leaving a bewildered Ness behind.

* * *

><p><em>"You'll find what you're looking for, love."<em>

_Just what in the world did that even mean?_ Ness groaned, rubbing his sore head. _What am I even looking for? Answers?_ The image of the blonde boy swam in his mind. _Was he talking about that random kid I saw? _

_What if this was all ruse?_

_ What if the teachers had been planning to catch him out of bed and lured him out on purpose? _

_Professors wouldn't do that...do they?_

Ness stewed over his possible options in his head. He either risked trusting the word of his hippie Divination professor, or getting caught after curfew. Neither appealed to him. He was lucky the first time; Headmaster Strong wouldn't be too happy if he realized Ness had broken two rules in the first week back. That was literally begging him to take away House points from Gryffindor.

Then that clearly explained why he was currently standing on the stairs of the Astronomy Tower smack in the dead of night.

With each step, the pajama-clad boy felt growing anticipation. Each flickering shadow made him jump, and the tineist sound made him grip his wand more tightly. His muscles were tensed, lips ready to whisper a Disillusionment charm at the first sign of trouble. Finally he reached the top. Stretching out a hand, he aimed for the door...until his right hand hesitated on the knob.

_What convinced him that there were no professors on the other side, waiting to bust him...?_

He heard footsteps echoing from below him in the stairwell. Alarmed, Ness pressed against the door before he sneaking a glimpse down. He spotted a prefect walking upstairs. Terror filled him.

_I knew it! It was a ploy! _He thought bitterly. Bracing himself for the worst, he leaned against the door in defeat...

"What are you doing here, love?" Professor Doria's voice suddenly erupted from underneath. Ness almost fell over in shock. From the looks of it though, the professor must be addressing the prefect.

"I thought I heard someone enter the stairwell, professor."

"No need, it was I," The Magypsy lied smoothly. "I believe you know that this tower is strictly off bounds this year for our experiments. Even to professors and to you prefects." Ness could imagine the professor's stern gaze. "I will have to report this."

"It was an accident, I swear, professor! But I swore I saw a student-!"

"No need, love. You know very well that our quarters lie right at the base of this Astronomy tower. We would have heard someone sneak in." A pause. "Or were you secretly seeking us out instead, love?"

"No, I'm good, professor!" The prefect squeaked hastily. His footsteps rapidly pounded away. Ness heard him literally flee from the priceless scene, and stifled his snorts of laughter with a fist. O_nly the Magypsies could pull off something like this...! _

"You should open the door, love, if you want to get to the other side," The professor called up abruptly. "You shouldn't be getting into any trouble tonight." He paused. "Oh, and close the tower door behind you, love. The chilly night air would seep into our rooms and utterly dry out our lovely hair."

With that parting statement, Ness gulped once before twisting the knob, holding his breath and bracing himself for whatever lay outside.

* * *

><p>The starry sky above greeted his vision. Twinkling stars and moonlight shone brightly in cool darkness as Ness exhaled deeply into the fresh chilly atmosphere. His breath escaped into the air like wisps of smoke.<p>

But what caught his attention was a blond boy sitting close to the edge, a potted-plant in his lap. Tiptoeing closer, Ness noticed that the boy was non-verbally conjuring up several watering spells for the sunflower. Its petals seemed to open and close gently like a soft dress.

Ness cleared his throat. "Hello there."

Immediately, the startled blonde suddenly whipped around before swiping his wand through the air. The sudden force of the Protego charm blew Ness backwards. Several swipes followed that in rapid succession, and the sunflower's tendrils suddenly expanded larger like giant, writhing snakes. Ness yelped as he expertly dived out of the way as one made a grab for him, and rolled under another one that narrowly swung past his left ear (he fervently thanked his Quidditch skills). He barely leaped to his feet when he nearly flattened his face into a solid concrete wall conjured from air.

"What on earth is wrong with you?!" Ness yelled, stumbling away from another spell like a frantic pidgeon. The blonde caught sight of his striken expression and hesitated. Wrong move. Caught up in thought of self-preservation, Ness reacted immediately on instinct and adrenaline.

"Stupefy!" He yelled, jerking his wand down in a slash.

The blonde gave a surprised look before toppling over. Ness had not expected that plan to actually work, and stood there gaping before returning to his senses.

"Oh, shit!" He cursed, hastily stumbling over and knelt down beside the unconscious boy. "Please don't be dead or anything...Rennervate!"

With a sharp gasp, blue eyes fluttered open. Ness sighed in relief; it seemed like the boy had no ill side effects. If the blonde got seriously injured, he had no idea what to do. Immediately, the blonde roughly pushed him away and backed up against the parapet wall shakily. Ness realized that the blue eyes were fixed fearfully on his wand.

"Woah, easy there!" Ness said, pocketing his wand and raising his hands up in the air in a gesture of surrender. "See? No danger. I'm not here to hurt you."

The blonde hesitated, then lowered his own wand. Ness noticed that his shoulders still looked very tense, but at least he didn't attack him. Still fixing his wary eyes on Ness's every move, the blond slowly sidestepped towards the potted-sunflower he had dropped in the midst of their short scuffle. With a few wordless jabs with his wand, the sunflower shrank back to its normal size, happily swaying in the breeze.

Ness crawled over to the boy carefully. _So much for making a good first impression. _"Umm...That's a nice sunflower you have there," He said awkwardly. The blonde looked up surprised, then finally shot him a genuine smile.

"Where did you learn to duel like that?" The black-haired youth asked, impressed. "You caught me by surprise. A few more spells and you could've gotten me." He was the top student in his Defense against the Arts class (much to Ninten's disappointment), and Professor Fly had complimented him several times, which was saying a lot because the professor rarely gave out praise. This strange boy seemed be a respectable equal, if not better than him. That knowledge made Ness feel a mix of curiosity and respect. Okay, maybe he was a little bit miffed too.

The strange boy only shrugged.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Ness chuckled when the boy didn't respond. "One of my roommates, Ninten, doesn't speak much either." He stared into the sky. "A lot of people say we could be twins because we look a lot like each other, but we're not related at all." Ness had no idea why he was blabbing about his life to a complete stranger, but for some reason, something convinced him that the strange boy wasn't a malicious person. The quiet boy only listened in rapt attention, drinking in his words with wide eyes as if each one was absolutely fascinating.

"Are you a student here?"

A shrug.

"Do you live here?"

Another shrug.

"..." Ness stared at him.

"..." The other boy stared back.

"You're no fun," Ness whined childishly. The other boy suddenly covered his mouth and started convulsing silently, ribs wracking. Alarmed, Ness leaned over in worry. "Hey, I didn't mean to offend you. Don't cry-!"

But when the blonde turned his face around, Ness saw no tear tracks. In fact, his blue eyes were sparkling with hidden glee, and there was a silly grin plastered on the boy's face.

"You're...laughing." Ness realized.

The blonde "laughed" again.

Ness now looked annoyed. "Well don't just sit there. Say _something_."

The blonde shot him a rapid series of hand gestures.

"I no idea what you're saying. Can't you just tell me?"

The smile was now wiped from the blonde's face. He gave him a serious expression, then abruptly drew a slicing gesture across his neck with his finger. Realization hit Ness, and his blood turned to ice.

"...You're mute."

The blonde nodded with a sad smile.

"Were you born with it?" He blurted out, curious. The boy shook his head, and Ness immediately felt guilty for asking such a blunt question.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

The boy shook his head again. _It's okay. You didn't know, _his blue eyes seemed to say.

Ness had no idea how to cover up this awkward moment, but luckily he didn't have to. The blonde paused, then gestured at the school curiously.

_"_You want me to tell you about Hogwarts?"

The boy nodded.

"Well, uh..." Ness scratched his head. "I mean, we have classes and all, but there really isn't much to talk about. We learn...things. Spells. The teachers are really good, and yeah! We tried out the stunning spell in class today. Defense against the Dark Arts is okay, but I really love flying." Ness felt like he was doing a bad job of explaining. He sounded _boring_. He flushed in embarrassment, but the boy only leaned forward in awe, eyes completely raptured as if Ness had been performing high class opera.

"Oh, would you like me to tell you about flying?" He said, taken aback by his unexpected audience's enthusiasm. The blonde's obvious eagerness encouraged him to continue. "Well I play as chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team..."

* * *

><p>Ever since then, Ness snuck up whenever he could to talk to the strange boy. Despite the late times he had checked in, the boy was almost always there, greeting him with a casual wave and warm smile. The young mute initially struck him as awkward, but Ness realized that the boy was in fact pleasantly shy.<p>

Although the boy couldn't speak and Ness didn't understand sign language, simple gestures and facial expressions conveyed most of his words pretty effectively. It was all in all a game of charades: sometimes Ness understood almost immediately and responded with a cheeky remark of his own. Other times, Ness had absolutely no idea what the boy was trying to say. It was actually kind of funny to watch the mute flail his noodle arms frantically.

"Aww, you look adorable," Ness grinned teasingly, pinching the other boy's cheeks before the blonde swatted his hands away. Ness then broke out laughing as the exasperated blonde pushed at him playfully with his fists. "Oww! Okay, okay, stop! I'm sorry!"

So Ness spoke most of the time. He still felt uncomfortable talking so much, but the boy seemed to prefer listening rather than "speaking." Ness was worried that the one-sided conversation wouldn't work out well, but the blonde was easily intrigued even by the simplest things about his life. The Quidditch player talked to him about his classes, his roommates, Quidditch, and to his surprise, even sometimes about his family and friends back home.

In return, Ness tried figuring out a few things about the mysterious boy. So far, he knew that the boy liked playing with wild dragons and animals. He was also a whiz at herbology, and never failed to tend to the potted sunflower he always held during each visit. When Ness asked why it was so important to him though, all he received in response was a sad smile. They dropped that subject pretty quickly afterwards.

But still, the boy had yet to tell Ness his name or why he was standing out here in the middle of the night on the _freaking Astronomy Tower_. What also was odd was that the blonde had apparently lived in Hogwarts over the past summer.

_Perhaps he's a distant relative of a Hogwarts professor? _Ness mused, baffled, as he waved the blonde goodbye to yet another visit. _Maybe he's just too embarrassed to say so._

But the more questions Ness asked, the more mysterious the blonde seemed.

_Just who was this boy?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: **

**Friendship drama? Check. **

**Ninten angst? Check.**

**Great readers? Hell yes DOUBLE CHECK!**

**You guys are awesome. Thank you for spending the time to read my story (this also expands to include you fanfic lurkers out there). ;) On the other hand, I promise to have the next chapter of "For the Power of Love" up within this week. This chapter was hard to write, but I hope it is worth your time.**

**Until next time!**

**P.S. Sorry I couldn't include Lucas in this chapter. But don't worry; he'll play an important role in future chapters.**

**[Insert disclaimer here]**

* * *

><p>As soon as the clock hit 9 AM Saturday morning, Ness and Ninten strode onto the Quidditch field with their brooms. Ninten was currently clutching a school-borrowed broom in his tense hands, and trailed behind slowly. There was a slight layer of fog, and the morning air was misty and cool to the touch.<p>

Ness breathed in the refreshing air, feeling electrified. _This was the real life! _Grinning, he checked on his fellow roommate.

Ninten had actually woken up earlier than him. By the time Ness was awake, he was surprised to see that Ninten was already sitting in the foyer, completely dressed and ready to go. He had patiently waited for Ness to get ready, then followed him out of the portrait door without a word. Ness would've brushed off his quiet nature as normal had he not known Ninten for the past week.

_Ninten had changed dramatically_, Ness mused. After three days of silent nodding and one-word sentences, Ninten had finally begun to return Ness's teasing with witty banter of his own. Then yesterday during dinner, when Ness had asked him about baseball, Ninten's eyebrows had immediately shot up in excitement. The usually serious boy had started rambling nonstop for five minutes before realizing and abruptly cutting himself short.

But Ness was persistent that Ninten should open up more, especially about something nonacademic, and had continued pursuing the topic with equal eagerness. While Ninten seemed to close off again, it didn't take for him to start talking again, although Ness noticed that the other boy was warily keeping himself in check.

_But it's a start_. Ness's gaze flickered over to his stoic roommate, whose eyes were flitting around anxiously as if someone was going to hop out from the thin fog and scare them both.

A sneaky idea hit Ness. When Ninten turned his head away, the other boy slunk away into the nearest bushes. After a few seconds, Ninten seemed to notice his absence.

"Ness?" His anxious voice called out. "Ness, where are you?" Ness snickered as he tried to stay hidden from view, clearly picturing Ninten's worried frown. He heard footsteps turn away from him and rustle away in the grass.

Ness readied himself then on the count of three...

_One...two..._

_THREE!_

"YARGH!" But there was no one there. Ness frowned. _Surely Ninten couldn't have gone too far...?_

"Ninten...?" Ness called out in a less confident tone, blankly staring across the empty courtyard. "Nint-"

"BOO!"

An unexpected yell from behind him forced Ness to give a girly shriek before flailing unceremoniously onto the wet grass. When he looked up, spitting out dirt from his mouth, Ninten strode out from the bushes. He was grinning smugly.

"_T__hat's _how it's done."

"Shut up." Came Ness's disgruntled reply before he strode off to the Quidditch field without another word. Ninten followed, still smirking. Finally they arrived at the capacious, thankfully empty Quidditch field. Ness looked serious (or as dignified as someone could look with grass stains in his hair) before he unstrapped the Quaffle.

"Here." Ninten caught the Quaffle, noting the unexpected force behind the throw. They tossed the ball back and forth to warm up before Ness stopped and mounted his brooms. Ninten followed suit, copying his actions before facing the other boy. A confident smirk graced Ness's lips: he was in home territory.

"Okay, we're going to pass the quaffle back and forth. Whoever fails to catch it loses." Ness gestured at the thickening fog. "And yeah, loser retrieves the ball. We can't lose it 'cause it's school property." He flew up in a corkscrew spiral before abruptly throwing him the ball. "Ready to get your ass whooped?"

Ninten grinned. "Whenever you stop screaming like a girl."

The only reply he got was a Quaffle zooming towards his chest. Ninten caught it steadily before hurling it back. With practiced ease, Ness flipped upside down in a loop before taking two hands off the broom. Still upside down, his hands barely grazed the side of the Quaffle, then his skillful fingers caught the ball like invisible hooks it flipped into the daredevil's clutches.

Ninten rolled his eyes at the over-elaborate performance. "Show off."

Ness grinned (he looked suspiciously mischievous) before suddenly pelting the Quaffle back. Unknownst to Ninten, Ness had sneakily added a subtle downward spin on it. As a beginner, Ninten wouldn't realize until the ball swerved completely out of his reach. At any rate, Ness was prepared to laugh himself silly at the sight of his serious friend struggling to retrieve the Quaffle in this fog.

But to his immense astonishment, Ninten not caught the ball successfully with a corkscrew dive, but skillfully executed the maneuver with remarkable dexterity.

"H-How?" Ness started to say before barely managing to catch the Quaffle in his shock.

Ninten had just realized that Ness had thrown the Quaffle abnormally on purpose, and was now scowling playfully at him. "That was a low blow, Ness." Ninten paused uneasily before tossing the ball back. "I used to sneak out of my room to fly sometimes when my father was away on work," he admitted quietly.

Needless to say, despite Ninten's confession, the ability gap between became clear as the game continued. Ninten was a decent flier, but missed five expertly-tossed throws. Ness had yet to miss any Quaffles; the one exception was the time Ninten had accidentally pelted the ball completely off-course. He had laughed as a frustrated, whining Ness flew around blindly, searching for the Quaffle for a full fifteen minutes.

They finally swooped down two hours later, exhausted, but in high spirits. Ness wiped the sweat from his brow. He had never had this much fun in ages, and while flying never failed to thrill him, he had never played like this with a close friend before. Not even Pokey. Pokey absolutely hated any sport.

_Pokey_...Ness suddenly felt guilty. He hadn't thought about Pokey as much these past days. While Ness did stop by the Hospital wing every day to help Pokey with homework he had missed, he couldn't help but compare his best friend to Ninten. Pokey wasn't a bad person to hang out with, but Ninten surprisingly shared many more similarities in common. While Ness had hoped Ninten would join him on his hospital excursions, for some reason, Ninten had politely declined each time.

Speaking of his black-haired roommate, Ninten was still grinning goofily, drunk in the sweet thrill of their earlier game. Whatever the miracles of flying had done, this happy, carefree Ninten was a completely different person from the cold, indifferent boy Ness had initially known.

"Dude, you're actually a pretty good flier." Ness slapped Ninten on the back and appraised him with approval. "You might lack the experience, but I'd say you could probably make pretty good competition as a Chaser for the Quidditch tryouts." Ness slid a sly glance. "Just as long as you don't outplay me off the team, of course."

"What about you?" Ninten exclaimed, laughing and waving his arms ecstatically. "That's probably some of the best flying I've ever seen!"

Ness laughed sheepishly, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "I'm not _that_ good, Ninten."

"I've seen you play a few times during the interhouse games, but _This_...You've never flown like you'd shown me did back there." Ninten whistled. "I bet you could probably try out for the big league!" Ness laughed again, but this time it sounded forced.

"Thanks." Ninten looked at him curiously, and Ness hastily changed the subject. "You know, you should fly more if it makes you this happy."

Ninten's enthusiasm faded noticeably, and his face paled. He mumbled something under his breath, but Ness caught it. The violet-eyed boy looked appalled. "Your dad won't let you fly? Even though he knows you like it?" He said, bewildered. He rounded on Ninten. "What is he, an evil control freak?"

Ninten was defensive. "My father's not evil! He's just worried that I'll slack off on my studies." His stomach roiled unpleasantly at the thought of his dad. "Besides, he works as an Obliviator in the Ministry. He does a lot of undercover jobs, so he wants me to do well in school so that I'm prepared for real life," he finished lamely. He glanced at Ness, who still looked unconvinced. _Great, now Ness thinks my dad is some sort of sadist. _"Then what does your father do?" Ninten shot back, annoyed.

Ninten seemed to have hit a nerve. Ness plastered on an over-zealous, fake smile. "Oh he works and does stuff. You know, this and that." Ness said evasively, quickly strode off to the castle. "Let's get something to eat, man, I'm _starving,"_ He said loudly as if Ninten couldn't hear him from half a foot away, before briskly striding off in the direction of the Great Hall.

Ninten stood perplexed by his odd behavior, before following after him. The refreshing mist now felt chilly, the cloudy air unforgiving. His previous spark of happiness quickly disappeared as it had come, quenched by the cold, damp atmosphere.

* * *

><p>The common room radiated coziness, and the welcoming fireplace crackled with warmth as the afternoon wind and rain violently howled outside.<p>

_We were lucky to fly earlier this morning, _Ness thought, watching the heavy rain batter the windows mercilessly. _Who knew what could have happened if we got caught in this storm?_

Ness sighed again. After stealing a glance at Ninten (who was steadfastly ignoring the angry tempest outside, immersed heavily in the pages of his Arithmancy textbook), he tried to focus on reading the chapter on "Elusive Beasts: Truth or Fiction?" in his Care of Magical Creatures course.

_The so-called "Horn of Life" has certain restorative qualities that make it a well-sought object, particularly in the black market. This rare item can be mysteriously dropped from the hands of many other creatures, particularly centaurs who use it in their healing rituals.__ It was dismissed as a hoax in 1964, but current experts believe that the "Horn-of-Life" is most likely a unicorn horn, due to its silvery, powder-like complexion and intricately grooved markings._

The constant rattle of the window pane was too much, and Ness finally gave up, closing the textbook. He stared at the rain pouring down in continuous torrents outside.

_I wonder if that blonde kid's okay._

He chewed on his lip worriedly. _He doesn't strike me as stupid, so he's probably found some shelter inside the castle. Hogwarts does have a lot of unexplored nooks and crannies_ _after all_...

But he couldn't help but worry. Finally, he couldn't stand brooding any longer. "Ninten," Ness said suddenly, grabbing his arm to grab his attention. The other boy raised his eyebrows in question. "How well do you know all the boys at Hogwarts?"

Ninten shook his head. "I don't know them _well_, but yeah, I think I do." He gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"

"I need to ask you something."

Shutting his book, Ninten finally gave him his full attention. Curious eyes appraised him. "Spill."

Now Ness felt slightly hesitant. _Should I tell Ninten about the strange boy I met on the Astronomy Tower a few days ago? __Normally I would ask Pokey, but he's not here. Besides, he'd probably think I'm_ _silly_...

But when Ness glanced at him, patient brown eyes stared back expectantly. There was none of that cool and calculated aura in those depths, no judgement - only trust.

_I trust Ninten_.

Ness cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Last week I accidentally bumped into someone. He looked our age, had blond hair that was kind of tufted like this (Ness gave the impression of a makeshift cowlick), blue eyes, kind of lanky..." Ness studied Ninten for any sign of recognition. "Does any of that ring a bell?"

"...Are you sure you're not thinking about a girl?" Ninten smirked.

"No," Ness responded, a pang in his heart as he thought of Paula in Beauxbaton. "It's definitely a guy."

Ninten whistled slyly. "Man, Ness, I didn't think you were into-" A playful punch cut him off into laughter. "Okay, okay, Ness! I was just kidding!"

"You'd better be," Ness replied grumpily. After shooting him his trademark playful smirk, Ninten began to ponder seriously.

"Hmmm," Ninten mused, tapping his pencil. Ness could literally see the gears turning in his friend's brain. For some reason, Ninten really liked to use pencils over quill and ink. Not even liked - more like _love__d_. That dude had a serious affection for pencils. Ness mentally reminded himself to bring it up another time.

"You know what, I can't think of anyone in our school who even looks like that, much less in our year," Ninten finally said, turning around to face him skeptically. Ness's heart sank at his confirmation. "Do you think someone might have accidentally dyed their hair from a misfired spell?"

Ness's spirits fell, but he was careful enough not to show it on his face. "Oh, that might be it! Thanks, Ninten!" Ness interrupted hastily. For some reason, he felt like the presence of the mute boy was a heavy secret that shouldn't be handed out lightly. Besides, it wouldn't do for Ninten to think that his new best friend was going crazy and seeing things. Ninten gazed at him suspiciously, but didn't press him on the matter.

Ness decided to take his leave, knowing that Ninten's shrewd questioning only served to his disadvantage. As he headed to the portrait door though, he hesitated. "Ninten, I'm heading off to the hospital to visit Pokey. Are you sure you don't want to tag along?"

The brown-eyed boy stared at him with an unreadable expression. He shifted in his armchair. "No, you can go ahead. I need to study."

Ness gave no objection, but reluctantly trudged off. For a second, Ninten felt guilt rise up his throat when Ness's face fell noticeably. But Ninten quickly banished the emotion.

_Idiot. Don't delude yourself. Ness is only hanging out with you because Pokey hasn't returned yet._

_Pokey..._Ninten didn't like that boy. He noticed how the blonde shot him death glares every time he got a question right in Transfiguration. Whenever Pokey answered one correctly, he would throw a smug look at Ninten, who paid him no attention, which only served to irritate the heavier boy. For heaven's sake, this wasn't a competition; Ninten only wanted to check if he understood the material properly. How Pokey was best friends with someone like Ness was forever a mystery to him.

Ninten snorted grimly, trying not to feel hurt. He would bet a thousand galleons that Ness would discard their "friendship" as easily as a bored child would throw away an old rag doll. Besides, the past several days had been completely crazy, something Ninten hated. He liked caution and predictability; Ness was far from "predictable." That was just Ness: loud, annoying, brash as hell, and willing to drag his friends eagerly into the heart of adventure.

But try as he might, Ness's humor and patience easily cracked the cold shell Ninten had meticulously built around himself...and to his horror, Ninten had _let _him.

_Father would be extremely displeased..._

_At least it's not too late!_ Ninten's mind argued back. _T__hings can easily go back to the way they've always been, and father will never have to find out that you slipped from his teachings._

_But do I really want to be alone again? _

He grimaced, feeling vulnerable at the flurry of conflicting emotions welling up inside of him. But opening up felt _natural._ He actually felt _happy _hanging around with Ness. Ninten couldn't remember the last time he had ever felt this happy, except when he was eight and his father had brought him to the zoo...that was when mom was still alive. The knowledge from his books provided him with mental satisfaction, but nothing was quite like the craziness of friendship.

_What do I do...?_

* * *

><p>Ness warily peeked around the double doors to the hospital wing. It couldn't hurt to check if the school nurse was there, waiting to lecture him. Ness shuddered. An angry matron suspicious about his every move was the last thing he needed in his life.<p>

His best friend immediately recognized him from the door, nodding his head in a "all clear" sign. Ness strode in, involuntarily feeling a giddy grin stretch on his face.

"Ness!" Pokey exclaimed cheerfully.

"Hey Pokester." Ness gave a look of concern to his bedridden friend, before brightening up. "You look a lot better!"

Pokey did recover a lot since last week; his hair had returned to its normal blonde shade, and his voice sounded normal again. Pokey's skin was even glowing with health. Literally. A side effect of the potion he had taken bathed his entire body with a heavenly light. That particular potion required five days to brew, and and extra three days to simmer in ice, which was why Pokey had to stay bedridden for a long period of time.

"Yeah!" He said excitedly. His enthusiastic face suddenly fell despondent. "I'm going back to class Monday..."

Ness laughed at Pokey's distraught expression. "I know! The horror!" He said, making spooky impressions with his hands. He dropped his joking attitude when Pokey still looked nervous. "Why the long face?"

Pokey laughed nervously. "I kind of like it because there aren't any bullies to pick on me..."

"It's okay, Pokey." Ness said firmly. "No one bullies my friends on my watch." Ness's face suddenly brightened up. "Oh, and speaking of friends, you should really get to know Ninten! When you were sick, I started to talk to him a bit. He's actually a really chill guy."

"...Really?" Pokey's voice was quiet, but Ness didn't seem to notice.

"Definitely," Ness said, nodding his head enthusiastically. "He's clever, but not as stuck-up as you think - you should have seen his face when I brought him flying this morning! He's probably the only other person who loves transfiguration as much as you do. You guys would get along great!" He dumped a textbook gently beside him. "Sorry to go so soon, but I have to catch up on something. Here's the Potions homework that's due Monday." With a cheery wave, Ness strode out of the Hospital Wing leaving his best friend sitting on the bed with a dismayed expression. "See you later, Pokey!"

* * *

><p>Monday morning.<p>

He was sitting in Transfiguration.

Alone.

Ninten couldn't help but feel disappointed as he took out his pencil and parchment. Students started pouring in. He had caught sight of Ness and Pokey entering the classroom laughing together, and lowered his eyes when Pokey steered them towards the other side of the classroom. For a second there, despite his pessimism, Ninten had foolishly hoped that Ness would sit next to him again, ready to complain and whine about something in that humorous tone of his.

Too bad that he was wrong. Swallowing down the strange lump of hurt with difficulty, Ninten resigned himself to a lonely class, and flickered his eyes to his paper-

When a familiar smirk met his face. "Can I sit here?" Ness asked, a joking play on an earlier memory they both recalled too well. The stoic boy gaped at him before realizing he hadn't responded. Hardly believing his luck, Ninten cleared his throat.

"No, I'm sorry, sir." Ninten almost cracked at Ness's dumbstruck face, but kept a straight face. "As you can clearly see, this seat is already taken by my imaginary friend. Would you like to politely ask him instead?"

"Oh, oops," Ness said in mock-guilt, roughly collapsing into the empty chair. "Too late. Maybe you should ask your _friend_ to sit somewhere else."

"You bastard!" Ninten said in a scandalous voice. Ness burst out roaring with laughter.

A noise of someone clearing his throat interrupted their playful banter. A clearly unhappy Pokey stood behind them, obviously reluctant to stay near Ninten.

"Sorry. Something was caught in my throat," The blonde bluntly muttered before taking a seat next to Ness. Ness punched the blonde in the shoulder playfully. With a jolt, Ninten realized that Ness had dragged Pokey over to sit next to him, despite the clear look of distrust on Pokey's face.

Ninten snorted. _Pokey already hates me. __How bad could this possibly get?_

He was clearly proven wrong. Today's lecture was extremely difficult: How to transform and compress air into solid objects. The poor, befuddled class would have stayed silent to Professor Aeolia's questions if Ninten hadn't raised his hand every time. He answered each question correctly, and with each success, Porky's scowl deepened noticeably into bold creases.

At the end of class, Ninten involuntarily caught a glimpse of Pokey's face. Utter loathing radiated from his murderous glare, hatred that stemmed from being stood up in one of his favorite subjects. It quickly disappeared when Ness suddenly turned around to engage the blonde in conversation.

Ninten could care less if he hated him, but he couldn't deny the uneasy feeling in his gut. _Why do I feel like something __bad's going to happen?_

* * *

><p>"N-Ness," Pokey laughed nervously as they headed off from transfiguration to Care of Magical Creatures. Ninten had separated from their group a corridor back for Arithmancy. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to hang out so much around Ninten."<p>

"Are you talking about his devious personality?" Ness grinned. "'Cause his pranks can be a right pain in the ass-"

"I don't know, Ness..." Pokey shifted him a side glance. "Do you think he's pretending to be all nice and all because of...you know..."

"No," Ness said bluntly. "He doesn't know yet. And I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be friends because of _that_."

"But do you know for certain? How do you know he's not showing it to your face?" Ness opened his mouth, then closed it reluctantly.

"You're right, I don't know," he admitted. "But Ninten doesn't strike me as that kind of person. He probably wouldn't change the way he'd treat me because my dad's famous and all-"

"No," Pokey said sincerely, placing a consoling hand on Ness's shoulder. There was a look of pity on his face. "Ninten isn't all harped up as you think. He..." Pokey hesitated before looking away and pulling up the bed sheets. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you, I don't want to upset you with the truth..."

"What are you talking about? What truth?" Ness demanded, looking extremely puzzled. The playful smirk on his face was gone, now replaced with dread. Pokey gave an exaggerated, painful sigh before facing his best friend.

"He's manipulating you, Ness. I stand by what I said: Ninten is spiteful. Several times before, I caught him glaring at me in transfiguration whenever I got an answer correct...he utterly hates me..." Pokey shuddered.

"Really? You must be kidding me, Pokey." Ness protested. He could easily imagine Ninten with an intimidating, cold expression. But spiteful? It was almost laughable.

Then again, Ness had been friends with Pokey for several years...Pokey would never lie to him...

"Haven't you noticed, Ness? Ninten's _jealous."_

"J-J-Jealous?" Ness stammered. "You're wrong."

"Wrong, am I? I think he's jealous of me. He's jealous that someone like you is friends with me, he's jealous about my standing in transfiguration!" Pokey's voice had risen up a pitch higher. "He knows I'm going to tell you the truth, make me seem like the bad guy!"

"Pokey, calm down." Violet eyes appraised him. "I think you're over-exaggerating. Look, I'll bring him over to breakfast tomorrow. Once you finish your 8 AM class tomorrow morning, come join us at the Great Hall." Pokey looked extremely unhappy with the turn of events, but one look at Ness's stubborn expression convinced him not to argue. Pokey reluctantly gave in.

"...If you say so, Ness," he sighed unhappily.

"Great! We'll all be friends in no time, you'll see!" Ness said cheerfully as they strode off to Care of Magical Creatures.

But Pokey hid his scowl, stewing with resentful thoughts. _I can't let that stupid nerd butt in. As much as I hate to admit it, Ninten isn't completely dumb. I don't need someone to question my friendship with Ness. _

The blonde's face darkened. _And I always get things done my way._

* * *

><p><strong>Uh oh.<strong>


End file.
